1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retaining assembly for a heat sink, and particularly to a retaining assembly which restricts unwanted lateral movement of the heat sink and maintains good contact between the heat sink and an associated heat-generating device such as a central processing unit (CPU).
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of electronics and computer technology, many electronic components have become highly integrated and very powerful. A typical such component is a CPU, and heat generated by modern CPUs is considerable. Excessive heat can adversely affect the operational stability of CPUs. Typically, a heat sink is mounted on a CPU to dissipate heat therefrom. This ensures normal operation of the CPU.
A conventional means of fastening a heat sink to a CPU uses a clip. However, retaining force acting on the heat sink is generally in vertical directions only. The heat sink is liable to be displaced in lateral directions when it is subjected to vibration or shock during normal use. For a typical Land Grid Array (LGA) CPU, the CPU is connected to an LGA socket by a plurality of elastic pads. If the heat sink is displaced a considerable distance, the CPU is prone to be separated from the socket thereby disrupting electrical connection between the CPU and the socket. For a typical Pin Grid Array (PGA) CPU, the CPU is connected to a CPU socket by a plurality of pins. This configuration can tolerate lateral sliding to a certain extent. However, if the heat sink greatly is displaced a considerable distance, the CPU is still prone to be separated from the socket thereby disrupting electrical connection between the CPU and the socket.
To overcome these problems, a heat sink retaining device which prevents lateral sliding of a heat sink is desired.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat sink retaining assembly which restricts lateral sliding of a heat sink and thereby maintains good electrical contact between an associated CPU and an associated CPU socket.
To achieve the above object, a heat sink retaining assembly of the present invention includes a retaining module and a pair of clips. Two retaining portions are respectively formed on each of two opposite sidewalls of the retaining module. A plurality of bifurcated block portions is integrally formed on interior faces of each of four sidewalls of the retaining module. A gap is defined between each block portion and its corresponding sidewall, and each gap receives a resilient member. Each resilient member includes a guide portion and a pressing portion. A heat sink is received in the retaining module via the guide portions. The heat sink is restricted by the pressing portions from sliding in lateral directions relative to the retaining module. The clips are engaged with the retaining portions of the retaining module. The heat sink is thereby securely fastened to the retaining module and to an associated CPU package.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with the attached drawings, in which: